PIKE, Victor Hugo
| Service Number: | 2654 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 6 July 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Tungkillo, South Australia, Australia, 4 October 1891 |
| Home Town: | Magill, Campbelltown, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Tungkillo School, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Truck driver |
| Died: | Killed in Action, At sea (HMAT Warilda A69), 3 August 1918, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Hollybrook Memorial, Southampton, Magill Honour Board, Mount Pleasant District Memorial, Mount Pleasant Pictorial Honour Roll, Mount Pleasant Roll of Honor, Rose Park Burnside & District - Fallen Soldiers Memorial Trees - Rose Park, Tungkillo Memorial Wall, Tungkillo Roll of Honor, Tungkillo War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Jul 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2654, 5th Pioneer Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Sep 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2654, 5th Pioneer Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Commonwealth embarkation_ship_number: A73 public_note: '' | |
| 3 Aug 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2654, 5th Pioneer Battalion, Lost at sea HT Warialda - torpedoed |
Help us honour Victor Hugo Pike's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Elizabeth Allen
Victory Hugo PIKE was born on 4th October, 1891 at Tungkillo, South Australia
His parents were William PIKE and Mary SCOTT
Biography contributed by Modbury High School
Victor Hugo Pike was born and raised in Tungkillo, South Australia, on 4 October 1891. He was 24 years and 9 months old, 5 feet 7 inches tall, and weighed 150 lbs. Victor had hazel eyes and light brown hair. His religious denomination was Methodist. His parents were Mr. William Pike and Mrs. Mary Pike, and Victor was the youngest in his family. Growing up, Victor went to the local Tungkillo School, where he completed his basic education. After finishing school, he worked as a truck driver.
Victor was initially rejected for service because he was medically unfit but he tried again and successfully enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 6 July 1916. The unit he served in was the 5th Pioneer Battalion. The 5th Pioneer Battalion, a light engineer unit formed in Egypt in March 1916, supported the 5th Division by providing essential engineering services. Victor served on the Western Front in France and Belgium, after being transferred to the European battlefields. In July 1918 he was hospitalised with neoplasm to his left thigh. On the 1st August 1918 was transferred to the hospital ship HMAT Wirilda. Tragically, the ship was sunk in transit from France to England, and Victor was reported missing and presumed drowned on 3 August 1918. According to Pt. V.U. Woolard, a soldier in the 5th Pioneer Battalion who was also Victor’s friend and slept next to him, the last time he heard of Victor was when Victor was sick. After investigation, his death was confirmed as drowning at sea due to enemy action.
His name is commemorated on numerous Memorials in South Australia and his name appears on the Hollybrook Memorial in Southampton, which commemorates Commonwealth soldiers lost at sea with no known grave, ensuring their sacrifice is not forgotten.
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